The Meridian Police Department and Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department readily complied this week to a new state law that makes law enforcement incident reports public record.
Both agencies provided full reports — complete with narrative descriptions of the incidents — within an hour of the requests.
"The information that is released through the initial incident report in the case will not affect the investigation of that case," said Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie Wednesday. "I don't see where anything will change for us."
The new law clarifies that incident reports are public records. The reports through a narrative will give basic information when someone
is arrested, such as who is involved and where and when an alleged crime took place. The bill was pushed by the Mississippi Center for Freedom of Information and other open-government groups. Law officers can withhold names of confidential informants.
House Judiciary A Chairman Ed Blackmon Jr., D-Canton, tried for several years to pass similar legislation but said it takes time to hash out all the details to everyone's satisfaction.
"This bill was produced to help the victims of crime and the general public get the information they need more quickly and efficiently," Blackmon said of House Bill 474. "There wasn't any particular agency or segment of the community who fought against this. It just took us a while for a compromise to be reached."
The much improved accessibility of the public, and that of the media, to provide more details to the public through the reports is something state advocates of the Freedom of Information Act along with the Mississippi Press Assocation have been seeking for in recent years.
Center for Freedom of Information Director Jeanni Atkins said, "what we ended up with is something that we can live with and something that law enforcement can live with."
Meridian Star Executive Editor Fredie Carmichael said, "I'm proud to say both the Meridian Police Department and the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department set the tone for other agencies in the state to follow in regards to compliance with this new state law.
"I think they sent the message that they believe in the importance of being open to the public," Carmichael said. "The incident reports, particularly the narrative, will provide us an added tool to access needed information that will, in short, allow us to ensure our readers are more informed about crime in their communities."
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Access granted to reports
Local law enforcement agencies comply to new law with ease
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Local law enforcement officials honored
State Rep. Greg Snowden said he remembered as a child looking up to those "men in blue."
He said police officers in uniform were larger than life, riding in their patrol cars and carrying guns to protect and serve the population. Today, he said he is still in great admiration of the men and women who put their lives on the line every day so that citizens can feel safe. -
MPD probes vehicle crash
Evidence of a mother's desperate attempt to save her children from harm were spread all over a car lot — and could be seen on her as well in the form of bruises, cuts and scrapes.
Tuesday night, a vehicle with three children inside crashed through a plate glass showroom floor window damaging four new cars and totaling the vehicle the children were in. -
Skeleton found in residence
Members of the forensics team of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) were called to a dilapidated home in Chunky to probe the discovery of a skeleton.
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Police search for robbery suspects
Two men who reportedly robbed a woman at gunpoint in the parking lot of a local bank are still being sought.
Mike Vick, public information officer with the Meridian Police Department, said the two men approached a woman about 8 p.m. Tuesday at the ATM of Regions Bank on North Hills Street. Vick said one of the suspects was armed with a handgun and after taking an undetermined amount of cash and the victim's car keys, the two suspects fled on foot. -
City cuts payment to Watkins
The Meridian City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to cut their monthly payment to David Watkins, project developer of Meridian's new police station, by $9,999 until work resumes on the project.
The order, made during the Meridian City Council meeting Tuesday morning, included a mutual agreement between the councilmen and Watkins to reduce the project developer's monthly consultant fee of $10,000 to $1, effective Tuesday. -
Crews work on gasoline pipeline
If you hear a loud, booming sound early today, between 4 a.m.-10 a.m., there is no cause for alarm.
Workers with Plantation Pipeline will be performing maintenance work on their 30-foot gasoline pipeline in the Meridian area to accommodate the widening of Highway 493. The location of the work activity will be at Highway 493 North and Oak Hill Baptist Church, just inside the city limits. -
Team Spirit
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High Honor
The flowers and balloons Crestwood Elementary School Principal Kimberly Kendrick received at school Monday were not an early Valentines' Day gift.
Kendrick has been named Meridian Public School District's 2012 Administrator of the Year – an announcement that both surprised and wowed the 17-year veteran educator when made by MPSD Superintendent Dr. Alvin Taylor. -
Master Dance Class
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Digital system promises better communication
Hopefully in the near future you won't hear someone in the emergency services ask over the radio, "Can you hear me now?"
A digital communications system, one which is being pushed by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), is a few months away and, in some cases, is already in the testing phase in Lauderdale County. - More Local News Headlines
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